ALONDRA DE LA PARRA presents IMPOSIBLE, an album that bears witness to a unique and unrepeatable experience.

• The Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra presents *IMPOSIBLE*, an album that captures one of the unrepeatable experiences lived during the first edition of the Festival PAAX GNP – which this year will take place from June 26 to July 7 in the Riviera Maya.

• IMPOSIBLE brings together the talent of prestigious international soloists, gathered in a one-of-a-kind orchestra under the conducting skills of Alondra de la Parra, performing the first symphony written by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.

Recognized worldwide for her work as a conductor, Alondra de la Parra is also the artistic director of the FESTIVAL PAAX GNP. The event has become known as a cutting-edge cultural space where symphonic music and dance come together through performances by some of the world’s best soloists, set against the backdrop of the idyllic Mexican Caribbean.

“All the members of the orchestra were world-class soloists, so in addition to the complexity of the piece, we had to ensure that each one had their moment,” says the conductor.

One of the great challenges in creating the Festival PAAX GNP was assembling a new orchestra composed solely of soloist musicians. “I had never worked on something with those characteristics. It pushed me, and all of us, to the limit,” states Alondra de la Parra as she recalls the recording of IMPOSIBLE, the orchestral project she presents on an album now available on platforms, two years after its completion.

As part of its first edition, and in line with its philosophy of promoting and fostering contemporary creation, the festival commissioned the creation of this symphonic work. Alondra de la Parra presented the world premiere of the *Sinfonía IMPOSIBLE: Las peras del olmo*, the first symphony written by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez – whom the conductor considers one of the greatest living artists today and the creator of Danzón No. 2, the most performed and listened-to Mexican concert work in the world.

IMPOSIBLE not only represents humanity’s capacity to transcend its own boundaries but also captures a particular moment in history. A time when the pandemic forced us to return to the human experience of looking into someone else’s eyes, giving a hug, or hearing a violin live. “The orchestra is the ultimate expression of pure human contact,” concludes the conductor.

The Sinfonía IMPOSIBLE is inspired by contemporary themes such as climate change, resilience, gender equity, migration, empathy, controversy, and utopia, with each of these topics forming a movement in which a specific instrument takes the lead. “These are, for now, just a few of the impossible problems I long to see solved. I know there are more, but trying to solve any of them is like asking for the impossible,” reflects Maestro Arturo Márquez. Felix Klieser, Michal Korman, Rolando Fernández, Sacha Rattle, Pacho Flores, Gili Schwarzman, Edicson Ruiz, Guy Braunstein, Nemanja Radulović, Jörgen van Rijen, and Stefan Schulz were the renowned soloists responsible for interpreting these parts.

“IMPOSIBLE is a project that pushed us all to the edge of the precipice, an uncomfortable place that fills us with vertigo, but one from which, undoubtedly, the best creativity is born.”

—Alondra de la Parra

The IMPOSIBLE album also includes the vibrant interpretation of Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23, by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, performed by The Impossible Orchestra, which also featured soloists such as Kristi Shade, Matvey Denim, Karen Forster, Tamar Inbar, Virya Quesada, Shari Mason, and Matías Piñeira.

Be part of the IMPOSIBLE experience and don’t miss this album, available on digital platforms starting June 27, 2024.